Women in Ireland deserve an independently governed National Maternity Hospital

Published: Friday, April 29, 2016

In response to reports that the St Vincent’s Healthcare Group is refusing to allow submission of the planning application for the new National Maternity Hospital to be co-located on the St Vincent’s University Hospital site, unless the National Maternity Hospital dissolves its corporate structure and becomes a subdivision of St Vincent’s Healthcare Group,

Orla O’Connor, Director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) said today,

“We are very alarmed by these developments that have created a further delay for the construction and relocation of the urgently needed new National Maternity Hospital. NWCI has welcomed the new National Maternity Strategy as an important step to improve maternity services in this country and ensure they are in line with international best practice. This includes the recommendation that maternity hospitals should have independent governance structures and independent funding. While the proximity to an acute adult hospital on the St Vincent’s site will improve patient safety and a better integration of services, the independence of the National Maternity Hospital will ensure that funds are not diverted from maternity services to other areas of the hospital.”

Orla O’Connor continued,

“We also echo the concerns raised by The Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Ireland and others, that the Catholic ethos of the Board of St Vincent’s hospital group which is controlled by the Religious Sisters of Charity will negatively impact women’s access to reproductive services, such as IVF or access to abortion under the already very restrictive Protection of Life during Pregnancy Act. Women in Ireland deserve a State of the art National Maternity Hospital which puts women’s health, wellbeing and choices at the centre of all care. Women must be able to trust their maternity hospital that they will be treated in a compassionate and non-judgmental way.”

Orla O’Connor concluded,
“NWCI did extensive consultations with women around the country last year which fed into the development of the National Maternity Strategy. What women wanted was for maternity services to respond to the needs of a diversity of women, of every religion and no religion. This proposal for a catholic infused governance structure goes against the need for a secular structure responding to the needs of all women in Ireland. “

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For more information, please contact Silke Paasche, NWCI, Tel. 085 858 9104, silkep@nwci.ie